What is a pangolin and why are they trafficked?
The animals are trafficked mainly for their scales, which are believed to treat a variety of health conditions in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and as a luxury food in Vietnam and China. In Africa, pangolins are sold as a form of bushmeat, for ritual or spiritual purposes, and use in traditional African medicine.
Are pangolins dangerous?
They are all armed and dangerous. All pangolins are able to roll themselves into a ball as self-defense. Their armor-plated scales are also capable of a cutting action, worked by powerful muscles,...
Is the pangolin nocturnal?
They live in hollow trees or burrows, depending on the species. Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, which they capture using their long tongues. They tend to be solitary animals, meeting only to mate and produce a litter of one to three offspring, which they raise for about two years.
How much Pangolins are left?
Tens of thousands of pangolins are poached every year, killed for their scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine and for their meat, a delicacy among some ultra-wealthy in China and Vietnam. There are eight species of pangolins.
How long does a pangolin live in captivity?
Most captive pangolins died within six months, although some were held for two to three years, a few cases lived for 12–19 years. Zoo records for pangolins in captivity from 1877 to 2001 had been reviewed by Yang (Yang et al. 2007).
What are pangolins eaten by?
Pangolins are so well protected by their scales that very few predators are able to kill them. Typically the only predators that are able to eat pangolins are large cats like leopards, tigers and lions, but other powerful animals like hyenas can also sometimes break through.
How long can a pangolin grow?
Giant Pangolin Facts. The giant ground pangolin is the largest species of pangolin alive today. It can grow more than four feet long and weigh 70 pounds.
How long until pangolins are extinct?
Experts indicate that the two Critically Endangered pangolin species, the Chinese pangolin and the Sunda pangolin, could go extinct within 10 years if current trends continue. “The humble pangolin, a scaly anteater, is one of the most endangered animals on the planet because of poaching.
Are pangolins bulletproof?
Despite reports of bullets ricocheting off pangolins, these creatures are not entirely bulletproof. However, the scale of pangolins can provide maximum protection against objects that might pierce its body.
How much is a pangolin worth?
Pangolin sells for as much as $350 per kilo. "You find pangolins, and I'll give you money." That's what Ruslan, 58, says he was told by a wildlife trader from out of town. Pangolins are traded by the ton, frozen and alive.
Can you keep pangolins as pets?
Answer: Pangolins are heavily trafficked and zoos struggle to keep them alive. No one has them. If they did, they'd be illegal in CA.
Are pangolins blind?
Pangolins are not blind, but their eyesight is poor.
How are pangolins killed?
Their armor-plated scales can cut and inflict serious wounds on a lion, leopard, or hyena — but are no match for a weapon-wielding human. Poachers simply pick pangolins up and drop them into a bag. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world — poachers kill as many as 2.7 million African pangolins every year.
Are pangolins related to dinosaurs?
Pangolins have been described variously as 'walking pinecones', 'artichokes with tails' and looking like 'modern day dinosaurs'. Although scientists used to think pangolins are closely related to other ant-eating species (e.g. anteaters and armadillos) we now know that their closest relatives are the carnivores.
How many pangolins are left in the world in 2021?
Pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammal with almost no chance of survival if removed from the wild. With global trends indicating an increasing number of seizures and only an estimated 50,000 pangolins still in existence, protection of this species is growing all the more important.
Are pangolins related to cats?
Though they look and act a lot like anteaters and armadillos, pangolins are more closely related to bears, cats, and dogs.
What is a pangolin?
Pangolins are a group of medium-sized mammal species that are native to various regions of Africa and Asia. They are nocturnal insectivores that ha...
What is a pangolin related to?
Due to visible similarities with sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, pangolins were once classified in a related taxonomy. However, genetic evidence...
Pangolin vs. Armadillo
While they aren’t related in taxonomy, pangolins and armadillos do share similar body structure, size, and shape. They are also both mammals that r...
What are pangolin scales used for?
The pangolin’s unique keratin enhanced fur scales are highly desired in traditional medicine in Asian and African cultures. They also have historic...
What does a pangolin eat?
Pangolins are insectivores, which means they survive exclusively by hunting bugs. Their pointed nose and long, sticky tongue are adapted for fishin...
Where does pangolin live?
Depending on species, pangolins can be either arboreal or terrestrial. Arboreal species spend almost all of their time on the trunks and branches o...
What Kingdom do Pangolins belong to?
Pangolins belong to the Kingdom Animalia.
What type of covering do Pangolins have?
Pangolins are covered in Scales.
What are some predators of Pangolins?
Predators of Pangolins include humans, lions, hyenas, and snakes.
What is the lifespan of a Pangolin?
Pangolins can live for 240 months.
What is a pangolin?
Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota ( / fɒlɪˈdoʊtə /, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός - "clad in scales"). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia.
How many insects do pangolins eat?
They are somewhat particular and tend to consume only one or two species of insects, even when many species are available to them. A pangolin can consume 140 to 200 g (5 to 7 oz) of insects per day. Pangolins are an important regulator of termite populations in their natural habitats. Pangolins have very poor vision.
How many species of manis are there in Asia?
Manis comprises the four species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa. These species range in size from 30 to 100 cm (12 to 39 in). A number of extinct pangolin species are also known.
Why are pangolins so popular?
Pangolins are in high demand for traditional Chinese medicine in southern China and Vietnam because their scales are believed to have medicinal properties. Their meat is also considered a delicacy. 100,000 are estimated to be trafficked a year to China and Vietnam, amounting to over one million over the past decade. This makes it the most trafficked animal in the world. This, coupled with deforestation, has led to a large decrease in the numbers of pangolins. Some species, such as Manis pentadactyla have become commercially extinct in certain ranges as a result of overhunting. In November 2010, pangolins were added to the Zoological Society of London 's list of evolutionarily distinct and endangered mammals. All eight species of pangolin are assessed as threatened by the IUCN, while three are classified as critically endangered. All pangolin species are currently listed under Appendix I of CITES which prohibits international trade, except when the product is intended for non-commercial purposes and a permit has been granted.
How long does it take for a pangolin to give birth?
Gestation periods differ by species, ranging from roughly 70 to 140 days. African pangolin females usually give birth to a single offspring at a time, but the Asiatic species may give birth to from one to three. Weight at birth is 80 to 450 g ( 2. 3⁄4 oz), and the average length is 150 mm (6 in).
What is the pangolin scale made of?
They are made of keratin, the same material from which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made, ...
Where are pangolins protected?
The introduction of Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers in places like Luanshan ( Yanping Township) in Taitung and Xiulin townships in Hualien became important communities for protecting pangolins and their habitats and has greatly improved the survival of pangolins. These centers work with local aboriginal tribes and forest police in the National Police Agency to prevent poaching, trafficking, and smuggling of pangolins, especially to black markets in China. These centers have also helped to reveal the causes of death and injury among Taiwan's pangolin population. Today, Taiwan has the highest population density of pangolins in the world.
Where do pangolins live?
The Indian pangolin is one of the largest and heaviest pangolin species; it's dwarfed only by the giant pangolin. It resides in southern Asia. The habitat of the Indian pangolin is a bit unusual in the sense that it can change depending on the country where the pangolin is living.
How much is a pangolin worth?
A live pangolin is worth almost $1,000. A dead pangolin is usually sold in parts, especially when it's killed for meat; since it's considered a delicacy, the meat can sell for $300 per kilogram.
How many scales does a Sunda pangolin have?
The Sunda pangolin has an average of 900 – 1000 scales. This is the only pangolin that we have any real data for, but it's assumed that larger species have a greater number of scales and smaller species have less.
What is a Sunda pangolin?
The Sunda pangolin is one of the tree-dwelling pangolin species. It has a wide range over southeast Asia and will happily rest in all kinds of forests, groves, and plantations. The Sunda pangolin is a creature of many names. Some people call it the Malaysian pangolin; others refer to it as the Javan pangolin.
How many species of pangolins are there?
You're in the right place! Here, you'll learn about the 8 species of pangolins, and tons of great pangolin facts. With their tiny paws and roly-poly bodies, pangolins are some of the most adorable animals in the world. They're a favorite of zoos and wildlife sanctuaries where people can coo over their cuteness.
What are pangolins used for?
Their scales and skins have been used for clothes, medicines, wines and spiritual rituals throughout the millennia. They're eaten as a delicacy. They're traded as prizes. Unfortunately, all of these things have combined to make pangolins an endangered, highly-trafficked animal.
What would happen if pangolins went extinct?
If they were to go extinct, local insect populations would explode by the trillions. On a sad note, pangolins also have a lot of uses in the traditional cultures of Asia and Africa. For example, they're used in Chinese medicines and Indian rituals, and they're considered a menu delicacy in Vietnam.
What are the physical characteristics of pangolins?
They are nocturnal insectivores that have physical characteristics similar to an anteater or armadillo, although they aren’t directly related to either animal. All 8 pangolin species are heavily threatened by poaching and trafficking despite international restrictions on the trade of meat, scales, and live animals.
What is a pangolin?
Pangolins are also known as scaly anteaters, although they are distinct from actual anteaters in both taxonomy and genetics aside from their shared origins in the Mammalia class.
What are pangolin scales?
Pangolin scales are actually clumps of hair made from keratin. Pangolins look and act like anteaters, but aren’t closely related to them at all. Pangolins are animals with scent glands that can spray odors as a secondary defensive mechanism. Pangolins are one of the most trafficked animals in the entire world.
Why are pangolins classified as a mammalia?
Due to visible similarities with sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, pangolins were once classified in a related taxonomy. However, genetic evidence has caused scientists to place them in a distinct clade within the Mammalia class that has few direct relatives.
How often do pangolins mate?
Pangolin Reproduction and Life Cycle. Pangolin pairs typically mate only once a year, with regional mating seasons usually occurring during the summer or fall seasons. Males leave scent markers to attract potential mates to their territory.
How long is a pangolin's tail?
Their bodies can range anywhere from 1 to 3 feet in length with adult tail length extending between 10 and 30 inches.
Why are pangolins so popular?
The pangolin’s scales are their most noteworthy feature and one of the reasons they are highly trafficked. These formations are actually formed by clumps of hair made of keratin, which is the same substance found in human fingernails. These clumps are soft on newborns, but quickly begin to harden into strong scales as they mature. They form into durable armor that acts as a defense mechanism when the animal curls into a tight ball when faced with an imminent threat.
Where do pangolins live?
Pangolins live in a variety of habitats, from tropical forests to arid deserts. Four pangolin species occur across Asia: the Indian pangolin, the Chinese pangolin, the Sunda pangolin, and the Palawan pangolin.
How much does a pangolin weigh?
When born, pangolins are about six inches long and weigh about 12 ounces (0 .75 lbs). Their scales are soft and pale, and begin to harden by the second day. Pangolin mothers nurture their young in nesting burrows. A mother will protectively roll around her baby when sleeping or if threatened.
How many toes does a pangolin have?
Each paw has five toes, and their forefeet have three long, curved, claws used to demolish the nests of termites and ants and to dig nesting and sleeping burrows. Pangolins shuffle on all four limbs, balancing on the outer edges of their forefeet and tucking their foreclaws underneath as they walk.
What are pangolin scales made of?
These scales are made from keratin — the same protein that forms human hair and fingernails. Overlapping like artichoke leaves, the scales grow throughout the life of a pangolin just like hair; scale edges are constantly filed down as pangolins dig burrows and tunnel through the soil in search of termites and ants.
What mammals eat termites?
OvervIEW. Pangolins are uniquely covered in tough, overlapping scales. These mammals eat ants and termites using an extraordinarily long, sticky tongue, and are able to quickly roll themselves up into a tight ball when they feel threatened. Eight different pangolin species can be found across Asia and Africa. ...
How do pangolins find their nests?
Wild pangolins locate insect nests using a well developed sense of smell. Voraciously digging ants and termites from mounds, stumps, and fallen logs with their claws, they use their extremely long sticky tongues to capture and eat them.
What is the name of the animal that digs through the mountain?
In Chinese legend pangolins are said to travel all around the world underground, and in the Cantonese language the name for pangolins translates to “the animal that digs through the mountain,” or “Chun-shua-cap,” which translates to “scaly hill-borer.”.
How long do pangolins stay together?
The only time pangolins spend time together is when they mate and bear young. Some pangolin fathers will stay in the den until the single offspring is independent. Babies are born with soft scales that harden after two days, but they will ride on their mothers’ tails until they’re weaned at about three months.
How big is a pangolin?
Size: 45 inches to 4.5 feet long. Weight: 4 to 72 pounds. Current Population Trend: Decreasing. The shy, harmless pangolin is becoming increasingly well known for one reason: It’s believed to be the world’s most trafficked non-human mammal. Tens of thousands of pangolins are poached every year, killed for their scales for use in traditional Chinese ...
How many pangolins are poached?
This shy creature, as big as your cat or dog, is the world’s most trafficked mammal -- with more than one million pangolins poached in the past decade. Learn more about the pangolin, why all eight pangolin species are at risk of extinction, and the conservation efforts needed to save them.
What are pangolin scales made of?
Illegal trade. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same material that makes up fingernails, hair, and horn. Pangolin scales, like rhino horn, have no proven medicinal value, yet they are used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with ailments ranging from lactation difficulties to arthritis.
How many pangolin scales were seized in 2019?
In two record-breaking seizures in the space of a week in April 2019, Singapore seized a 14.2-ton shipment and and a 14-ton shipment of pangolin scales—from an estimated 72,000 pangolins—coming from Nigeria.
Why are pangolin populations declining?
All species face declining populations because of illegal trade. In 2016, the 186 countries party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the treaty that regulates the international wildlife trade, voted to ban the commercial trade in pangolins.
Where is the endangered sunda pangolin?
An endangered sunda pangolin at the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Center in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark. Please be respectful of copyright.
How big is a pangolin?
Pangolins vary in size – there are three bigger species, the biggest being the giant pangolin, where an adult weighs on average 33kg. Close behind this are the Indian pangolin, which reaches 13kg, and the ground pangolin, which reaches 12kg.
How much does a pangolin weigh?
The other four breeds of pangolin are smaller, with the Sunda pangolin weighing 4.9kg, the Chinese pangolin weighing around 3.6kg, the long-tailed pangolin weighing around 2.7kg and the smallest species is the tree pangolin, weighing only 1.5kg.
What is the name of the pangolin?
Cape pangolin (also known as the Temminck’s pangolin) Long-tailed pangolin (also known as the black-bellied pangolin) The four Asian pangolins are distinguished from the African species by the presence of bristles which emerge from between the scales.
How do pangolins break into insects?
Pangolin using its claws to break into an insect nest inside a tree trunk. It will then put it's long sticky tongue inside to feed on the insects. Image Credit: Ulrico Grech-Cumbo. Pangolin walking in the grass, it's easy to see why some people call them 'walking pinecones'! Image Credit: Angus Hart.
How many species of pangolin are there?
All eight species of pangolin are classified as Appendix I under the Convention in the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to give them the highest level of protection from extinction. There are eight species of pangolin:
How many insects do pangolins eat?
They have incredibly long sticky tongues to pick up and devour ants and termites. They are so effective at this that an average pangolin can consume up to 70 million insects per year! This has a hugely important impact on their environment, as they have a big role in controlling insect populations.
What is a pangolin made of?
Pangolins, sometimes given the nickname ‘scaly anteaters’, are four-legged mammals who are completely covered in a layer of scales made of keratin (the same material that human hair and nails are made of).
How long do pangolins stay with their mothers?
A baby pangolin will ride on its mother’s back or tail from about a month old, after its scales harden, nursing and eating ants. Young stay with their mothers for about two years—when they become sexually mature—before heading off to start their own families. 4:20.
Where are pangolins found?
Once found in forests and grasslands across southern China, parts of Southeast Asia, and into India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, poaching and trafficking have left ...
How many pangolins are poached?
This shy creature, as big as your cat or dog, is the world’s most trafficked mammal -- with more than one million pangolins poached in the past decade. Learn more about the pangolin, why all eight pangolin species are at risk of extinction, and the conservation efforts needed to save them.
Do pangolins live alone?
Pangolins live alone except when it comes time to mate. Females typically bear a single offspring at a time; Chinese pangolin males, which are much bigger than the females, stay with the family until the baby is weaned. A baby pangolin will ride on its mother’s back or tail from about a month old, after its scales harden, nursing and eating ants. Young stay with their mothers for about two years—when they become sexually mature—before heading off to start their own families.
Do pangolins have teeth?
Like its pangolin relatives, the Chinese pangolin has no defense against humans —not even teeth—and its underside is soft and unprotected. Some poachers use dogs to find pangolins in their burrows and dig them out. When threatened by predators such as big cats, the pangolin quickly rolls into a tight, scale-covered ball.
Overview
Behavior
Most pangolins are nocturnal animals which use their well-developed sense of smell to find insects. The long-tailed pangolin is also active by day, while other species of pangolins spend most of the daytime sleeping, curled up into a ball ("volvation").
Arboreal pangolins live in hollow trees, whereas the ground-dwelling species di…
Etymology
The name "pangolin" comes from the Malay word pengguling, meaning "one who rolls up". However, the modern name in Standard Malay is tenggiling; whereas in Indonesian it is trenggiling; and in the Philippine languages, it is goling, tanggiling, or balintong (with the same meaning).
In ancient India, according to Aelian, it was known as the phattáge (φαττάγης).
Description
The physical appearance of a pangolin is marked by large, hardened, overlapping, plate-like scales, which are soft on newborn pangolins, but harden as the animal matures. They are made of keratin, the same material from which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made, and are structurally and compositionally very different from the scales of reptiles. The pangolin's scale…
Threats
Pangolins are in high demand for traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine in southern China and Vietnam because their scales are believed to have medicinal properties. Their meat is also considered a delicacy. 100,000 are estimated to be trafficked a year to China and Vietnam, amounting to over one million over the past decade. This makes it the most trafficked animal in the world. This, co…
Virology
The nucleic acid sequence of a specific receptor-binding domain of the spike protein belonging to coronaviruses taken from pangolins was found to be a 99% match with SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus which causes COVID-19 and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers in Guangzhou, China, hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 had originated in bats, and prior to infecting humans, was circulating among pangolins. The illicit Chinese trade of pangolins for …
Folk medicine
Pangolin scales and flesh are used as ingredients for various traditional Chinese medicine preparations. While no scientific evidence exists for the efficacy of those practices, and they have no logical mechanism of action, their popularity still drives the black market for animal body parts, despite concerns about toxicity, transmission of diseases from animals to humans, and species extermination. The ongoing demand for parts as ingredients continues to fuel pangolin poaching…
Conservation
As a result of increasing threats to pangolins, mainly in the form of illegal, international trade in pangolin skin, scales, and meat, these species have received increasing conservation attention in recent years. As of January 2020 , the IUCN considered all eight species of pangolin on its Red List of Threatened Species as threatened. The IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group launched a gl…